|
Baptism
In
company with Baptists and indeed many many Christians of all denominations who
share our biblical position we consider the baptism of a believer a real
must-have. When our Lord Jesus Himself had fulfilled as He put it the
“striving” of his heart ie His atoning death and truth affirming
resurrection (see Luke 12.50) He said, “Go into all the world and proclaim the
good news-teaching and baptising those who believe” –Matthew 28.19
The apostle Paul wrote to Christians in
Rome
and in the letter urges them on to Christ-like living –even to live as if
raised to live in heaven-saying, “Don’t you know that all of us who were
baptised into Christ were baptised into His death? We were therefore buried with
him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the
dead, through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
Actually the Roman army was well infiltrated
by Christians. The film “Quo vadis” and Lloyd Douglas film, “The Robe”
as historical scripts underline the brave-heart style testimony of Christians in
the first centuries. The early British aristocracy sometimes married Roman
veterans . This is apparently what happened at Segontium-an
old Roman settlement in southern
England
-where the gods were taken from their pedestals and a sacred fountain and pool
became a Christian baptistery for adult believers.
We encourage friends
everywhere and those in our immediate fellowship to take the step of faith that
will forever after mark them out as soldiers of Christ. Baptism maybe thought of
as a sort of oath-taking (see Romans 10.9) The renewal o f this vow at the
communion service extends this commitment in
a sensible week-by-week consecration to the captain of our salvation who for us
and for our salvation endured the cross. Indeed the word “sacrament”
comes from a Latin root which means “oath-taking”. So the Lord’s supper is
a continuing focus of our dedication to the cause of Christ.
For the above reason it is right and
proper that baptised persons are received into the fellowship and body of the
church.
It will be readily understood from the foregoing that the baptism of
believers by immersion is in concert with the earliest and original initiation
practiced by Christians.
| 
